The Forgotten Story
by shewhowaited
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a man who died. The man's work was the writing and telling of stories, but he could not defy death. (Doctor Who does Princess Tutu)
1. Prologue

Heavy, pale mist wound through the trees and lay like a blanket over a glassy lake. A small yellow duck sat among the reeds at the edge of the water. All was quiet and calm.

Out of the mist came a figure, seeming to float over the lake. The duck's dark eyes lifted to focus curiously on the figure, and as she watched, it became clear that the figure was a human boy with pale skin, long limbs, a dark brown mop of hair, and empty green eyes.

_Quack?_

The boy lifted an arm and began to dance on the surface of the lake, his movements graceful and slow. He was ethereal, otherworldly, and beautiful. But his eyes remained blank and devoid of feeling.

_I want to dance too. I want to dance with him… with the prince._

The duck ruffled her feathers.

_But I'm only a duck. Ducks can't dance._

Sighing faintly, the bird continued to observe the boy. His empty eyes, to her, seemed lonely and desolate.

_Why? Why does he look so lonely?_

The boy continued his dance, and the duck longed to join him.

_If only I could dance with you, my prince. Then maybe you wouldn't be so lonely._

The fog thickened, obscuring the duck's view of the boy. She rose, straining to see through the mist, but the lake's water darkening before her caught her attention.

"_You _want to dance with the prince?"

She tensed in alarm as the loud voice echoed through the trees.

_Quack?_

"A little duck like you?"

A huge face, a laughing, grinning face, appeared in the water before her ––

–– Gasping in shock, Clara Oswald sat up straight in her bunk, dark eyes huge as she clutched her blanket to her chest.


	2. Chapter 1

Clara let her eyes slip shut for a moment. _It was just a dream. Just a dream, Clara, you're okay. Calm down. Deep breaths._

She sighed, opening her eyes and glancing around the small room. Her room. Yes. "That was a strange dream," she said aloud, crawling over to the ladder. Carefully, she climbed down, then padded over to the window and opened it.

Clara breathed in the early morning air, looking down at the courtyard outside. Fog hung heavy in the still air, reminding her of her dream. Across from the girls' dormitory, there was the boys' –– and from where her room was, she had a perfect view of Theta's bedroom window.

_Theta. _She blushed just thinking about him. She'd had a crush on him ever since she enrolled at the dance academy. How could she not? He was an exquisite dancer, and impossibly handsome besides. The fact that he had been the prince in her dream was almost too perfect.

"Good morning, Theta," she sang out softly, leaning out the window. The curtains covering his window moved, catching her attention, but at that moment she heard a bell ringing.

"The school bell?!" Clara panicked, throwing the window shut and changing quickly into her uniform. She practically flew down the hall, bag in hand, yelling, "Amy! Rose! Why didn't you wake me up?!"

The two doors next to Clara's opened. A redhead poked her head out of one, and a blonde stepped out of the other. The blonde, Rose, yawned widely, still looking half-asleep. "Did somebody call us?" she asked the redhead, rubbing her eyes.

"I think that was Clara," the redhead, Amy, replied, looking much more awake as she watched the small figure disappear around the corner of the hallway.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it still six o'clock? Why is she going to school already?"

"Scatterbrained as usual –– she's so cute," Amy gushed.

Rose rolled her eyes as she stepped back into her room, hoping to get a little more sleep.

* * *

Clara was in such a hurry that she nearly tripped going down the stairs. She ran through the empty town, headed for the huge castle-like building that was the Gallifrey Academy. As she ran, though, her thoughts strayed to Theta.

If only she could dance with him, just _once _–– oh, but it was a hopeless dream. He'd never even look twice at a girl like her: young, silly, and a rubbish dancer at best…

Clara realized she'd stopped in the middle of the street and immediately sprang into action again, sprinting for all she was worth.

She reached the academy fairly quickly. Once inside, she slipped out of her uniform and put on her leotard, tights, and ballet slippers, making sure she kept her red pendant on, and swept her dark hair up into a bun. Grabbing her washcloth, she hurried from the locker room to the classroom.

"Sorry I'm late!" she cried as she flung open the doors and took several steps in. Her voice echoed strangely through the dark, empty room, and she lifted both eyebrows in confusion.

_There's nobody here…?_

The sudden crackle of a record beginning to play startled Clara enough to make her jump. The recognizable tune of Tchaikovsky's _Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy _filled the air, and out of the corner of her eye, Clara saw a boy stand, long arms arching above his head.

_Theta!_

Clara watched with wide eyes as Theta began to dance. He was amazing, she thought dreamily as she watched him dip and spin, absolutely amazing.

One arm lifted skyward and the other extended sideways; knees bent, then straightened, pushing off the ground and sending Theta into an incredible leap. Despite herself, Clara gasped aloud.

Theta's head turned toward the girl as he landed lightly. He regarded her calmly, but she felt herself blushing wildly.

"I – I'm so sorry for interrupting you! I thought I was late, but I guess I'm early… I didn't know you'd be practicing right now, so I just… I'm really sorry, I'll leave now," she babbled, taking a quick step backwards. Alarm turned to panic, though, as her foot caught on a small crack in the floor. Her feet shot out from under her, and the world spun as she fell.

Panic shifted to confusion as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and another come under her knees. Her world stopped spinning, and she found herself looking into a pair of empty green eyes.

_What beautiful eyes, _Clara thought dazedly. But to her they seemed so very lonely, just like in her dream. She couldn't even begin to guess why…

She was suddenly very aware of Theta's arms around her, and she panicked once more, her cheeks turning red as she jerked back to sit on her knees beside him. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I'm so clumsy –– you must think I'm weird…"

"I don't."

She paused, looking up at him. "What?"

"I don't think you're weird."

If possible, her face grew even warmer. "R-really?"

He made a small noise of agreement.

Clara heard the sound of the classroom door opening behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see a tall, brown-haired boy standing there, a rather annoyed expression on his face.

"Galen," Theta said, by way of greeting.

Galen marched over to Theta and stood directly in front of him. "Didn't I tell you to inform me when you go out?" he demanded.

"Sorry," Theta replied monotonously, looking up.

Galen's brown eyes rolled. "Idiot," he muttered. "Stand up."

Theta hummed softly, not moving.

"What's wrong?" Galen asked harshly.

"My foot."

It was then that Clara noticed how one of Theta's legs was extended behind him rather awkwardly, his ankle twisted. She winced, realizing it must've happened when he'd dived to catch her.

"What happened? Did you twist it?" Galen questioned.

Theta confirmed this with another little hum.

Clara looked up at him. "It's my fault, I tripped and he caught me."

Galen shot her a dark glare that made her flinch inwardly, then turned back to Theta. "What were you thinking, doing such a _pointless _thing?"

"Like I said, he saved me when I tripped and ––"

"That's why I said 'pointless'," Galen snapped, leaning down and roughly grabbing Theta's wrist. "Get up. We're going back." He pulled Theta to his feet, leading the shorter boy limping out the door.

"You don't have to be so rough with him!" Clara cried indignantly.

"Quiet!" The heavy door slammed shut behind the two.

Clara glared at the door. Pointless, huh? Well, maybe it had been, but he didn't have to put it so bluntly.

The sound of a bell tolling rang out for the second time that morning. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The bell again…?

* * *

"What?" Rose and Amy said in unison.

"Yeah, I guess I was early rather than being late," Clara said, propping her leg up on the barre. The lights were on, and the classroom was filled with students now.

Rose patted Clara's shoulder. "If you'd just looked at the clock before you left ––"

"I was panicked, okay?" Clara interrupted, glaring at the blonde as she stretched.

Amy giggled. "Clara, you're so adorable," she said.

"I can't believe you actually got to talk to Galen," Rose said, her eyes glossing over. "He's the best ever."

"No, Theta's the best! Galen's not very nice, you know," Clara argued.

"Oh, Clara, you know that's hopeless. The wonderful Theta already has River," Amy reminded her cheerfully.

Clara pursed her lips, thinking of the gorgeous curly-haired girl that was Theta's current girlfriend. Of course, she didn't stand a chance against River. The two were perfect for each other.

"A doomed love. A girl destined for heartbreak," Clara's friends chorused, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"So cute," Amy added, giggling again. Rose just sighed, shaking her head.

The creak of the door opening silenced the students. "The teacher's here," Rose whispered to Clara, who brought her leg off the barre and spun around. She was completely shocked, though, when she saw a cat standing there.

It wasn't a normal-looking cat, which was the most startling part; it was a cat the size of a man, standing on its hind legs, wearing a simple teal shirt and grey pants, along with white ballet slippers. It was standing there, though, and nobody seemed to care.

"A _cat?!" _Clara exclaimed, then clapped her hands over her mouth. Several heads turned toward her, and she heard more than one gasp, along with a few murmurs.

"That's Mr. Brannigan!" Rose whispered, looking horrified.

"Is something wrong?" Amy hissed.

Clara was too stunned to reply. _Has our teacher always_ _been a cat?_

"All right, class, settle down," Mr. Brannigan said, clapping his hands to get the students' attention. "If you don't ––" and here his eyes took on an odd gleam, his voice dropping to a near-growl "–– _I will have you marry me._"

The very atmosphere of the room seemed to grow colder at his words, and every girl shivered in fear.

Soon, all the students were lined up at the barre. As Mr. Brannigan called out instructions, Clara's mind wandered, returning to her dream and Theta. _Oh, Theta… why do you always seem so lonely?_

The back of her neck prickled as though she were being watched, and she froze, seeing that everyone else had moved to the next position. Then she heard Mr. Brannigan's voice behind her.

"Your mind was somewhere else, wasn't it? If you don't focus, Miss Clara, I will be forced to have you _marry me._"

Clara nearly shrieked, bending down and assuming the position all the other students had. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

After the beginner class had practiced, Mr. Brannigan sat everyone down by the barre. "We will now enjoy a performance by the special class," he announced. "Special class, _entrez-vous!"_

A moment later, the door opened, and Clara couldn't suppress a small gasp of awe as the five girls of the special class walked into the room. At their center was a beautiful young woman with blond curls pulled into a bun and sparkling blue eyes, wearing a red skirted leotard, black tights, and red pointe shoes. _River!_

The _Swan Lake Waltz _began to play over the record player, and River and the other four girls went up on pointe and began to dance. Clara, Amy, Rose, and the rest of the beginner class watched with shining eyes, all wishing they might someday be part of the special class.

"They're so good," Clara whispered.

"Yeah, unlike you, Clara," Amy chipped in.

Clara winced.

"Now she's depressed," Rose said, glaring at Amy while patting Clara's back consolingly.

Amy grinned. "She really got depressed? Oh, how cute!"

_She's right, though, _Clara thought dejectedly, continuing to watch River dance. _For Theta, it'd have to be someone like River to make a good match. I'm hopeless._

She straightened, suddenly having another thought. _Speaking of Theta, I still haven't properly apologized to him for getting his foot hurt. _She resolved to go after class and apologize, even if it meant breaking the rules to go in the boys' dormitory just so she could do it. After all, Clara wasn't going to let something like that go so easily.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hello, everyone! I hope you liked the latest chapter! Question for you all: can you figure out who Theta and Galen are? I'll tell you at the beginning of Chapter 2, but for now, I want to see if anyone can guess.

Thanks for reading!

-Han


	3. Chapter 2

After class, the girls went to the locker room to change back into their uniforms. Clara was lost in thought, nervous about going to apologize to Theta. Rose, clearly noticing her friend's distraction, leaned down and waved her hand in front of Clara's face.

"Clara? You all right?"

Clara looked up at her anxiously as she pulled her hair out of the bun. "Do you think it's weird to suddenly show up?"

"Show up?" Rose echoed.

"I want to apologize to Theta for this morning," Clara explained. "I feel really bad about getting him hurt, but I don't want him to think I'm weird."

Amy put an arm around her shoulders and said, quite cheerfully, "Don't worry! Even if he does think you're weird, I'll comfort you!"

Clara pushed Amy's arm away, frowning, and bent to put on her shoes. "That doesn't help, Amy."

"I think you should go," Rose told her. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Yeah, you're right," Clara agreed. She finished putting on her shoes and stood, straightening her back. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you guys later."

"Good luck, Clara!" her friends chorused.

Clara walked with a confidence she didn't quite feel as she headed for the boys' dormitory. She approached the large set of wooden doors, and though they looked identical to the ones at the entrance of the girls' dormitory, they somehow seemed far more intimidating.

_Come on, Clara, you can do this, _she told herself, standing in front of the door and staring at the doorknob. Technically she wasn't supposed to go in at all, but if it was just to apologize…

"Would you mind getting out of the middle of the road?" came a voice from behind her, and she spun around, eyes narrowed. Galen stood there, arms crossed, a scowl on his sharp face.

"Oh, um… Is Theta here?" Clara questioned.

Galen sighed, walking past her. "Why?"

"I wanted to apologize for getting him hurt," she explained quickly, hurrying after him.

He opened a door and stepped inside. "There's no need," he said, and though the words should have been kind, the older boy delivered them scathingly, his voice coated in ice.

"Is he okay, though?" she persisted, anxious.

Galen rolled his eyes. "He's fine. It's not serious," he said shortly.

"Are you like this to everyone you talk to?"

"Go home." And with that, he shut the heavy wooden door in her face.

She stood there for a moment, lips parted slightly in an expression of indignation. Realizing this, she shut her mouth with an audible click, whirling around and stalking down the pathway. "Who does he think he is?" she muttered angrily. Oh, she _hated _him right then, she absolutely hated him!

* * *

Galen entered the room he shared with Theta to see the floppy-haired boy sitting by the window, green eyes staring blankly out through the glass. "Theta, I told you to stay in bed," he said, exasperated.

Theta turned those empty eyes on Galen, blinking. "Sorry," he said.

"Does your foot hurt?" Galen asked coldly.

Theta shook his head. "Not really."

Galen ran his long fingers through his thick brown hair, closing his eyes for a moment and sighing. "So, how did that even happen? That girl said something about you trying to help her."

"She tripped, and I was just…"

"Listen to me." Galen leaned down toward Theta, making sure his roommate held his gaze. "Don't do pointless things like trying to play hero and save stupid, clumsy girls anymore. You don't need to do _anything_ except what I tell you. Okay?"

"Okay," Theta replied. "I will do as you say, Galen."

Galen sighed again, straightening. "Good," he said, almost as if to himself. "As it should be."

* * *

That evening, Clara sat at the window in her little dorm room, hands on her chin as she stared out at the darkening town. In the courtyard between the boys' and girls' buildings, there was a fountain with a large sculpture of two people dancing on it, a male figure holding up a female one by the waist. Dreamily, Clara imagined that the figures might be her and Theta.

She hadn't ended up being able to apologize to Theta for his injury, since he hadn't returned to class. Her mind returned to that moment when he'd saved her, when she'd gotten to look into his beautiful, lonely hazel eyes closely for the first time. There had to be some reason why he seemed so sad, even when he was around other people. _If only I could do something to help him… _

For a split second, Clara thought she heard an echo, or maybe a memory, of a man's sadistically gleeful laughter. She frowned, snapping out of her daydream. Where had that come from? Was it just her imagination? She listened closely –– no, there it was again, definitely real this time.

Looking out the window again, she noticed that the moon seemed much brighter, casting long, black shadows across the pale stones. Something seemed very wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She saw a figure, standing by the fountain, a man's figure swinging by a chain; no, he wasn't by the fountain, he was by the pathway to the boy's dormitory; or was he in the middle of the courtyard? Her eyes kept slipping away from him, almost like she didn't want to see him there, or maybe it was that he didn't want to be seen.

The uneasy feeling grew, until Clara could stand it no longer. She climbed off the window seat in a hurry, bare feet padding softly on the wood floors as she practically ran down the stairs and out to the fountain.

"Hello?" she called quietly as she halted beside the fountain, her breath coming in little gasps. Again, she felt that there was something strange going on, something she should know but couldn't pinpoint. "Is there somebody here?"

The man was nowhere to be seen, but once again she might have heard the echo of laughter.

A cloud drifted over the moon, softening the bright light and blurring the edges of the shadows, and Clara jumped as the loud, rushing-water sound of the fountain startled her out of her thoughts.

It wasn't until later, as she lay awake in bed, that she realized what had been wrong. Before the cloud had drifted in front of the moon, before she had been jolted back to reality, the water in the fountain had been absolutely still.

* * *

_Somewhere far away, a man sat in a world that was seemingly made of hundreds of turning, clinking gears, and laughed as he watched the little girl walk back to her room._

_"__The water has begun to flow. The time has begun to pass. Now, tell me a story…"_

* * *

The next morning, Galen commanded Theta to stay in bed to rest. "Well, I'm off to class," he announced, books tucked under one arm. "On my way back, I'll stop by the library for you, Theta."

"Thank you, Galen."

"Don't give me cause to worry," Galen added, trying to sound light as he left the room.

Once Galen had gone, Theta slid out from under the covers, walking with a slight limp over to the window. He looked down at the students streaming through the courtyard on their way to the academy and, seeing Galen among those students, headed back to bed.

Outside, Clara stood at the end of the pathway to the girls' dormitory, looking up at Theta's window. "Okay," she said aloud, taking a deep breath.

"What's okay?" Rose asked, materializing on Clara's left.

Amy appeared on her right, eyes twinkling mischievously as she laid a hand on Clara's shoulder. "You're going to do something, aren't you? I can tell."

"Nothing really," Clara said quickly, hoping she wasn't blushing.

Rose leaned in to whisper conspiratorially in the shorter girl's ear. "Are you, by any chance, going to try to sneak in and see Theta?"

Amy grinned wider. "And if things go well, strike up a friendship?" she added excitedly.

"Yes, but… I hadn't thought that far yet," Clara admitted, sure she was blushing now.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Rose said cheerfully. "We'll find a way to cover you being late, okay?"

Clara nodded, grateful she had such good friends. "Thank you."

"I wonder if it'll work out for her," Rose mused as she and Amy headed toward the academy.

"Oh, she'll be fine," Amy replied optimistically.

Clara swallowed hard, looking up at the window. _I have to do it for real this time, _she told herself, determined to succeed. _I can do it. There's nothing to be nervous about. Just go in and apologize. If I hurry, I might even not be late for school. _This thought encouraged her, and she took a step toward the door.

A flash of yellow near the window caught her eye, and she looked to see a row of small birds –– canaries, maybe –– perched on the edge of the gutter. The biggest of the birds spread its wings and took flight, and the little ones watched intently. Clara realized that the smaller birds must be chicks, leaving the nest for the first time. Aware that she was stalling, she watched as one, then two of the chicks flapped their shaky little wings and became airborne.

One chick, though, seemed reluctant to fly, tottering on the edge of the gutter. Clara frowned, knowing it wouldn't be able to remain there for long without falling, and silently hoped that it would gain the courage to fly.

Then Theta's window opened. Clara's eyes flitted over to the window to see Theta himself standing there, clad in a half-unbuttoned white shirt and baggy grey sweatpants. To her horror, the boy climbed onto the windowsill and stood, leaning half-out of the window with his eyes fixed on the little chick that still refused to fly.

"Be careful!" she found herself crying out, but Theta didn't seem to hear her.

Out of nowhere, a massive black raven came, swooping with talons outstretched at the mother canary. When the yellow bird darted away, the crow turned to the little chick, seeking to snatch it away.

The chick fell, and Theta leaned out, reaching, his long-fingered hands cupping around the little bird. Even as he himself began to plummet toward the ground, he held the chick to his heart, protecting it from harm as much as he could.

_"__No!" _Clara shrieked, and with that one yell time seemed to slow down. She was running, running, and Theta was falling toward the cobblestone ground, and he was going to ––

_Oh, my, what have we here? The prince is going to die. _

It was a man's voice, one Clara almost recognized, a voice she must have heard in her dreams. She didn't hear it aloud, either; it was solely in her head. She didn't have time to worry about going crazy now, though. There were far more pressing matters at hand.

"Prince?" Did he mean Theta?

_The hero meets his death, _the voice continued, sounding positively gleeful about that fact.

"Death?! No!"

_What's going to happen to him? _the man asked. _Is he going to make it? Is someone going to save him? Please, Clara, you have to tell me what happens in this story._

Who, indeed, would save him? Clara desperately wanted to save him herself. She couldn't just let Theta die!

_Do you care for him, little duck? _He sounded amused, as if it were funny that a mere bird might love a prince. _Do you want to be of help to the poor young prince? _

"Of course!"

_Are you saying that _you're _going to tell _me _this story? Very well… _The red pendant around Clara's neck caught the sunlight, gleaming and glittering.

_That's right! _Clara felt like she had been electrified.

_Now do you remember who you are, Princess Oswin?_

As the man's words echoed in her head, Clara knew something was changing. Her hair lifted off her neck, twisting into a bun at the back of her head. She felt a light weight settle on the top of her head. A crown, surely. Her standard school uniform was replaced by a full-skirted red tutu with off-the-shoulder, elbow-length sleeves and a dark maroon ribbon tied around her waist, white tights, and red pointe shoes. Her simple red pendant became more elaborate, three smaller red stones in the middle of a pair of pale blue fluttering wings. She also felt taller, more confident, and now instead of simply running it was like she danced toward the still-falling Theta.

Princess Oswin –– for that was who she was now –– took an enormous leap off the ground, gliding toward Theta and crying, "My prince, quickly, take my hand!"

Theta looked up at her, looking almost surprised at her sudden appearance. He reached out one hand to her, keeping his other carefully cupped around the small bird. Their hands fit together perfectly.

Oswin carefully landed, and Theta landed safely beside her. She turned to him with a brilliant smile, and he responded by holding out his free hand. There the chick sat, unharmed. It spread its little wings and shakily took flight, and Oswin's eyes followed it.

"I saved you," she murmured after a moment, turning back to the boy who still held her hand lightly. "I saved you, Theta."

He tilted his head slightly, regarding her. "How do you know my name? And who are you?"

"I am…" She trailed off, suddenly unsure.

_Well now, it looks as if you _don't _know who you are, doesn't it, little duck? Yes, that's right, you are a duck… _the voice in her head sneered mockingly.

"Quack!" she burst out, then slapped her hands over her mouth, horrified. Theta looked at her, seeming only vaguely confused as her face burned red with embarrassment.

And what was happening to her body? She felt like something was changing, something drastic and awful, and she turned without another thought and ran as fast as she could run in toe shoes. Away from the prince, away from the dorms, she seemed practically to fly as she ran out to the woods by the lake.

Oswin's form shrank, her clothes disappearing entirely even as yellow feathers sprouted to replace them. Her arms changed to wings, her toes to webbed feet.

_I _am_ a duck, _she thought miserably, stumbling forward and falling ungracefully. The red pendant around her neck slipped off, landing in the grass beside her. As she lay there, she realized that the shock of the day, of her body changing not once, but twice, and of being able to save Theta had exhausted her. Tired eyes slipping closed, the little duck succumbed to sleep.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hello! Just wanted to give a quick thanks to **june reader **for following this story and tell you that, if you hadn't guessed yet, Theta is Eleven and Galen is Ten.

But who is Drosselmeyer?

That, my lovely readers, will all be revealed in time.

Later!

-Han


End file.
